Their Works of Art

Children’s Artwork Can Decorate More Than the Fridge

I have three budding artists. My girls love to “craft.” We have sculptures, paintings, drawings and lots and lots of hand-print pieces of art.  Ten years worth. I have grappled with what to do with it all­. What do I keep? What do I frame? How do I frame it?

Sort and Display or Store

Courtney K. Wier of Plan C Spaces, LLC, suggests that parents collect and organize children’s artwork in a plastic storage bin or similar container where the artwork can lay flat and be well-preserved. To decide which pieces to display, Wier says, “Choose the artwork that makes you happy, has sentimental value or is special to the child.”

Juli Means of Augusta, mother of Sam and Jack, ages 9 and 7, says it’s a tough decision when deciding what to frame because she loves all the boys’ artwork. “In the end we just displayed our favorites,” she says. “It makes us happy that our children love to draw and paint and it does a lot for a child’s self-esteem to see their special artwork on the walls from day to day.”

Lisa Jordan of Augusta, mother of Waters, 8, and Ella, almost 5, advises parents “to have each family member choose a piece of work that is meaningful to them and pick a frame that coordinates with the room it will be displayed in.” Her children are filled with pride when they see their handiwork throughout their home.

Pick a Theme

Susie Monday, co-author of New World Kids: A Parent’s Guide to Creative Thinking, says, “Choose a theme for a display wall and assign the theme or topic to your child for art-making purposes.” She also suggests grouping similar art pieces together—for example, pictures of animals or people. 

Another idea is to display art in chronological order. You can really see the progress your child has made from the start to the end of the year or from age 2 to age 6. 

Go Gallery-Style

Jordan has some of her children’s artwork displayed gallery-style in a playroom with bright colors that compliment the décor. She also created a rotating art display where she connected a wire between two painted, wooden coat hanger pegs. “We rotate weekly art by hanging it on the wire with clothespins,” she says.

Once you decide which pieces to hang, Wier suggests choosing a wall or area to be used and then narrowing down the pieces you’ve collected to appropriately fill the space.

Monday even suggests converting a wall or part of a wall in your child’s room, hallway or another space into a giant pin board with cork or insulation board covered with fabric. “Use clear pushpins for an ever rotating wall of ideas and imagination,” says Monday.

Frame It

If you are looking for frames to hang the art gallery-style, Wier suggests simple black, white or frameless glass that can be purchased at local craft or discount stores. Means framed her boys’ artwork in black and acrylic frames and even hung the canvas that her children painted directly on the wall without a frame. 

Go for Groupings

Wier suggests parents also decide their vision for installation. “For a symmetrical, clean and modern look, I would suggest purchasing an even number of the same size, style, color and orientation of frames to be grouped in a line or stacked evenly on the wall,” she says. If you are looking for an asymmetrical installation, Wier says to use the same frame style and color but in varied sizes and orientations. An odd number of frames is usually a rule of thumb when planning your wall, but there are really no set rules as to how the art can be grouped together.

Hang It, Book It or Collage It

There are a number of ways to display your children’s art other than using frames and hanging it gallery style. A cable system similar to Jordan’s using yarn or wire and binder clips or using sleek, steel wall-mounted cable systems is one option.
There are also magnetic wall primers and paints where magnets are used to display art. With this arrangement, you can use strong magnets of different colors and shapes to add variety.

Wier also suggests scanning your children’s artwork (via online Web sites) so that you can make a coffee-table book or large collage posters of the art.

Or Monday offers, “Buy a piece of foam core and collage it with your child’s art for a custom poster.” Use spray adhesive for the most professional application, or use glue sticks for a more kid-friendly project.

You can also take a picture of the child’s art and have a poster-sized print made of it. “Taking a piece of your child’s art to a larger, more professional format is really a powerful way to encourage creativity,” says Monday.

In the end, there is really no “wrong” way to display your children’s art. “I think it is a combination of using your eyes and your heart,” says Means. “Sure you want it to look nice, but in the end, is there really a wrong place for your babies’ masterpieces?”
 

Cammie Jones is an Augusta freelancewriter and busy mother of three.
 

Resources and Inspiration for Hanging Your Children’s Art work

• www.ohdeedoh.com has lots of ideas and photographs to inspire you’re creativity.

• Check out the New York Times article, “Reclaiming Your Refrigerator: Ideas for Displaying Children’s Art” at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/garden/27artbox.html.

• Potty Barn, Land of Nod and Ikea are just a few of the online sources offering frames for displaying children’s artwork.

• Find more ideas at http://pinkandgreenmma.blogspot.com. The blog’s author wrote an extensive posting with photos in February of 2010.